Have you ever glance inside a magnolia flower ? At the center , there ’s this funky - looking protrusion . It kind of search like a colourful pine tree cone .
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That ’s actually the fruit that will continue to suppurate and produce the ripe ejaculate of the plant . And you could harvest those right semen to get more magnolia trees .
Photo by Kristine Lofgren.
Some specie have fruit that are downright cosmetic . It ’s like a 2nd show in the fall . Others are a number less spectacular , but they ’re all equally utilitarian in the process of reproduction .
While you never know precisely what you ’ll get when propagating seed , it ’s commonly something pretty exciting , specially when you get to superintend the process from start to goal , taking those seeds from a growth on a branch that squirrels lovemaking to munch on to an entire tree in its own right .
That ’s what this guide aims to do , helping you to germinate and handle for your own young magnolias at home .
come the right way up , here ’s everything we ’ll cover to facilitate you reach your magnolia propagation dreams :
What You’ll Learn
Before you jump in , be aware that only trees 10 age or elderly will produce workable source .
The best trees to harvest from are about 25 years old , since that ’s when they ’re the most generative . You should also roll in the hay that those collect from hybrids wo n’t breed true .
That does n’t mean a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree wo n’t originate , it just stand for that whatever does develop wo n’t necessarily look like the parent .
In my area , dish antenna magnolia ( Magnolia×soulangeana)are all the cult , but these trees are hybrid , so you ca n’t multiply them from source .
A Bit About Magnolia Seeds
At the center of each prime is a cone that is made up of follicles . It kind of looks like a cushy true pine strobile . We call this entire affair the follicetum , or just the yield , for short .
Each follicetum is held on a receptacle and contains blurred follicles that hold the typically violent or orange seeds comprehend in fleshy aril . These look fairly like young distaff pine strobile .
Why the uncanny pod ? Well , magnolias first evolved when dinosaurs roamed the earthly concern . Back then , there were lots of insects that we jazz today as beetles , but there were n’t any bees .
That meant in guild to be pollinated , magnolias had to rely on those beetles , and they were n’t as delicate and petite as bees , as you could plausibly imagine .
The beetles would climb into the flower and use their mandibles to feed in there . To protect themselves from the beetle , magnolias developed tough carpels to encase the seeded player .
Since these carpel see a spate like the male stamen – a part of the flower they wish to bung on – it tricks the beetles into cling out inside the fruits longer .
The fruit delay on the tree diagram long after the petals cast off . As it matures , the crimson or orange seeded player develop and come forth from a split in the follicle .
herbivore like squirrel , opossums , and birds run through the fruit and unfold the seeds all over the situation , eventually making young trees .
Harvesting
Magnolia seeds ripen in the fall . Once they emerge from the follicle and you could see the ( commonly ) reddish - orange flesh , it ’s harvest time . The trick is to beat the animals to the advanced fruits .
If you harvest too early , the fruits wo n’t be ripe yet . If you harvest too late , they might be squirrel dope already . You call for to check into the tree diagram oft to find that perfumed spot .
you’re able to also await until the fruits have exhaust themselves from the tree – you ’ll find oneself them on the land under the canopy .
If you have multiple trees to choose from , look for a tree diagram that had a bountiful floral display of healthy flowers this twelvemonth . The prime should n’t be browned or spotted .
Of of course , by the sentence you ’re looking for the fruits , the flower petal are long gone , but just keep a genial annotation when you see possible tree for harvest from .
Once you have the goods , chafe the pulp under running urine to remove it . You want to expose the unfermented come .
Lay the cum out on a cookie sheet covered with a newspaper towel to let them dry out . Once they ’re dry , you may stash away them for years in a cool , dry seat until you ’re quick to plant .
Preparation
Now that you have your seeds , soak them in water for 48 to 72 hour .
The purpose of this is to loosen the hard prohibited finishing . After soaking , gently squeeze the end of the fruit to pop the source out .
Next , it ’s time to stratify the seed to educate it for planting . you’re able to artificially cold stratify them indoors .
aim the prepped seed in moist ( not wet ) gumption in a resealable traveling bag and press all the breeze out of the bag . Seal it up and place the bag in the icebox .
They need to stay in a cool smirch for up to 120 days . Check the sand to ensure it stays moist .
Start this process about 120 days before you wait temperatures to be around 70 ° F during the daytime and no lower than 50 ° F at dark in the spring .
Planting and Care
Once the seeds have been stratify for 120 solar day and it ’s around 50 ° F at night and around 70 ° F during the day in your country , it ’s time to plant them out of doors .
Sow in prepared soil half an inch mysterious . The grunge necessitate to be water supply retentive without drain poorly .
Eventually , the tree diagram will grow beyond any of your effort to remediate the soil within a certain area , but you want to give your seedling a fighting hazard to become established .
To do this , rectify the soil with lots of well - rotted compost at least a foot down and a metrical foot broad .
Compostdoes double duty in that it makes ground water retentive and it improves drainage . It ’s garden thaumaturgy .
I always put two or three seed in each stain where I want a tree to turn in face one or two do n’t germinate .
Once the seed is in berth , water the ground cautiously so as not to disturb the dirt . Keep watering until the soil is saturate but not soggy .
As the seedling come forth , your job is to keep the territory moist but not wet . When the surface of the stain dry out , tally a bit more moisture .
That ’s all there is to it ! proceed caring for your plant as described in our generalguide to growing magnolias .
Make More Marvelous Magnolias
Part of what makes magnolia so interesting is their unique biological science . It ’s a gust to work with plant parts that are a short bit different from the usual bloom we fuck and love .
circulate magnolias from seminal fluid is also a in force skill to have in your back pocket if you desire to save or reproduce a tree diagram that you adore .
think that you require permission to take industrial plant part off of tree on secret place . It ’s utterly legal to take a small telephone number of seeds and flush on Bureau of Land Management belongings . you could also get permits to take works parts from national timber solid ground .
And formore information about magnolias and how to get them , check out these guides next :
photo by Kristine Lofgren © need the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more item . Uncredited exposure : Shutterstock .
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